For residents in Limpopo, government’s Presidential Hotline is now accessible via a mobile app and an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) code.
This, after the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) decided to introduce a pilot of the app and USSD code for the toll-free hotline in that province.
Established in 2009, the hotline enables disgruntled citizens to communicate directly with the Presidency about service delivery issues. It is supported by a network of public liaison officers in national departments, provinces and municipalities.
The line can currently only be reached through telephone and e-mail channels, with a target turnaround time of seven days.
Dubbed Khawuleza, the new app was developed in-house, while the USSD code has been sourced from SA’s largest mobile operator, Vodacom, according to the DPME.
The app and USSD code will enable citizens to lodge a service delivery complaint in all official languages through their cellphones and track their queries through a reference number, says the department, adding that whistle-blowers will be able to report any poor service delivery and corruption anonymously.
“In this pilot phase of the app, the focus will be on service delivery in the Limpopo province,” says deputy minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya. “Based on experience gathered and assessment of the state of readiness in other provinces, the Khawuleza mobile app and USSD code will be rolled out in the remaining eight provinces, an effort which will then culminate in a national launch of a reengineered presidential hotline.”
Siweya has applauded the Limpopo provincial government for volunteering to collaborate with the DPME to test the efficiency of this new system. “Our team tells us that when we were looking for a partner to test and pilot the initiative, you were willing to work with us and integrate with the premier’s hotline.”
Citizens have been urged to use the new platforms optimally as a way of encouraging accountability and improvement of service delivery.
The Khawuleza app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, while USSD is available on *120*7733#.
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